Global Action Week for Education 2016

Global Action Week for Education is an annual worldwide campaign,  organized by the Global Campaign for Education and actively supported  by UNESCO to raise awareness on education and the commitments made by the international community to achieve the global education goal. "Failing to make adequate investments in education puts the  fulfilment of the entire global agenda at risk,"  said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. This year, the campaign, which runs from April 24 to 30,  focuses on the  theme of education financing, under the slogan  Fund the Future: Education Rights Now.

With the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in 2015, the international  community set an ambitious education goal by calling for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030. However, it is clear that  the success of the education agenda cannot be realized without a significant and well-targeted increase in financing, particularly in those countries furthest from achieving quality education for all at all levels.

				Video of the Panel Discussion:  “Financing for  SDG4-Education 2030.  Leaving no one behind : what will it take to narrow inequity gaps?”.
		Education 2030: How far are we from the goal. Explore UIS statistics

What is needed to fill the funding gap

The annual cost of achieving universal pre-primary, primary and secondary education in low and lower income countries is projected to increase from USD149 billion in 2012 to USD340 billion, on average, between 2015 and 2030.
Every USD1 invested in education and youth skills in developing countries generates USD10 to USD15 in economic growth while improvements in basic reading skills for all students in poor countries could lift around 171 million people out of poverty	.
To improve education quality, in low income countries, spending per primary school student will need to increase from USD70 to USD197 by 2030. The total annual financing gap between available domestic resources and the amount needed to achieve universal pre-primary, primary and secondary education of good quality in low and lower income countries is projected to average USD 39 billion between 2015 and 2030. Aid needs to increase by at least six times to fill this gap. To reach the 33.8 million out-of-school children and adolescents in conflict afflicted countries, USD2.3 billion is required: ten times the amount given in humanitarian aid in 2014.
To address the disadvantages faced by children living in poverty, per-student costs will need to increase by up to 40 per cent. UNESCO Key Messages
Failing to make adequate investments in education puts the fulfilment of the entire SDG 2030 agenda at risk.	.
To achieve SDG4, the Education 2030 Framework for Action calls for all countries to allocate at least 4 to 6 per cent of GDP to education and at least 15 to 20 per cent of public expenditure to education.
Innovative funding, focused on partnership, transparency, equity and efficiency is necessary to achieve the ambitious education agenda. The commitment to 12 years of free, publicly funded, education from early childhood to secondary must be backed by prioritisation in national education budgets and in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to education. The decline in aid to education in recent years must be reversed. Adequate and efficient financing is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 4   Particular attention must be paid to marginalized populations and vulnerable countries.	Particular attention must be paid to marginalized populations and vulnerable countries.